1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a stabilizing device, and more particularly to a device that establishes a variable elastic gyroscopic stabilizing force adapted for use with vehicle wheels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known in the art that various problems and diffulties are being encountered in providing suitable means for stabilizing the three principle axes of a rotating wheel, i.e, the spinning axis, the horizontal axis and the vertical axis.
Most known devices direct themselves to attachments that attempt to effect a balancing condition, rather than a stabilizing condition. That is, a balancing device comprises a balancer weight that is capable of shifting to compensate for an out-of-balance condition of a wheel. In effect, the known devices are counter-balance units, and do not establish any control over the stabilization of the rotating wheel.
As examples of the known art, the following United States Patents disclose various balancing devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,901,290 discloses a wheel-mounted vibration damper to provide a tuned dynamic absorber to dampen vibrations that are transmitted by the wheel of a motor vehicle. The damper comprises a plurality of resilient elements mounted to the inner wheel rim. The resilient elements bear against a frictional ring which is preloaded against an inertia ring that surrounds and is seated on the ring of a frictional material. Thus, the resiliently suspended ring mass is arranged to absorb the wheel vibration, and is not affected by the rotational speed or gyroscopic forces of the wheel.
A wheel balancer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,012,820 which comprises a weight in the nature of a solid ring substantially concentric with the axis of rotation of the wheel, the weight being freely supported in a case so as to continuously be relocated to compensate for any imbalance in the wheel. Thus, in response to the reactive forces, the weight--by virtue of its inherent mass and consequent inertia--will instantly shift within the case to a position eccentric to the axis of rotation of the wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,041 discloses a wheel-balancing device that is incorporated in a hub and conical disc which, when acted upon by centrifugal force during wheel rotation, will move axially toward the wheel, in order to radially load the rim and displace same into forceful contact with the wheel periphery.
The above-noted device and other known balancing means have overlooked the basic need for stabilizing wheels. When a wheel is stabilized, any imbalance therein is automatically corrected by the compensating factor of stability, and not the compensating factor of shifting a weighted force to react against an unbalanced location at a given point on the wheel.